Bathing cap



Dec. 10, 1963 'v 3,113,319

BATHING CAP Filed NOV. 14, 1960 INVENTOR. AND: R. VA/L United States Patent 3,113,319 BATHING CAP And'e R. Vail, 2311 Empire Ava, Burbank, Calif. Filed Nov. 14, 1%0, Ser. No. 68,702 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-68) This invention relates to a bathing cap construction.

Rubber bathing caps of the type that snugly fit the head, cover the ears, and are held snugly in place by a chin strap, frequently leak at different portions of the peripheral edge of the cap even when the cap otherwise has a tight, head-conforming fit. Prior caps have been provided with integral inner ribs around the periphery to achieve a more intimate engagement of the cap edge with the forehead, nape of the neck and side face portions of the wearer. Yet leakage frequently results, primarily because the fit can be only general rather than intimately conforming, and because the elasticity of the rubber material used, while suitable for the limited stretch needed for donning and removing the cap, is not sufficiently flexible to form a properly intimate seal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rubber bathing cap that provides novel and improved means to seal pneumatically rather than merely by using the elasticity of the rubber to effect sealing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bathing cap as above characterized that may be inflated to sealing condition while in donned position and by the wearer of the cap in a rapid and facile manner.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of const-ruction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bathing cap embodying leakage-sealing means according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a broken and enlarged detailed inside view of a portion of the cap.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing the normal deflated condition of the leakage-sealing means.

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the inflated, sealing condition of said means.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of leakage-sealing means, shown inflated.

The bathing cap body 16 is conventionally formed, by molding, of rubber to conform to the head of the user and to quite intimately fit around the forehead, ears and nape of the neck, the peripheral edge 11 of the cap body being formed, accordingly. conventionally, such a cap body is provided with ear-covering extensions 12, one of which is extended as a chin strap 13 designed, by means of a fastener 14, to connect to the other extension 12.

The present novel leakage preventing means 15 is provided on the inner side of the cap just inward of the edge 11. Since the edge 11 may be variously formed for appearance purpose, the path of the means 15 is particularly made to follow a line across the forehead below both ears and across the nape of the neck. The present means further include means 16 for inflating the sealing means 15 and, as shown, said means 16 is embodied in the 3,113,319 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 strap 13 and in operative communication with the sealing means 15.

The means 15 preferably comprises a series of parallel ribs, beads, ridges, or the like 17 and the same may be substantially similar to the beads presently used on the inner side of rubber bathing caps. Regardless how otherwise formed, said ribs define channels 18 between them. If two beads 17 are provided, one channel 18 will be formed, if three beads are provided, the cap will have two channels. FIG. '3 shows the ribs 17 as integral, thickened and inwardly directed portions of the cap body all.

According to one form of the invention, a thin stretchable rubber diaphragm 19 spans between adjacent ribs to, thereby, enclose the channels 18. FIGS. 3 and 4 show this form of the invention. The modification of FIG. 5 shows the channels 18 provided with thin stretchable rubber tubes 20* which also enclose the channels.

in practice, the diaphragms 19 or the tubes 24 as the case may be, are caused to fuse to the walls or faces of the ribbed and grooved side of the cap body while both the rubber of the cap body and the rubber of said diaphragms or tubes are in a tacky, semi-cured state, upon application of suitable curing heat. The vulcanizing or fusing techniques involved are not part of this invention because the same are well-known, the novelty residing in the provision in a rubber cap formed with ribs, of integrally connected or fused expansible portions that form air passages between adjacent ribs.

The means 16 is here shown as a tube 21 that extends along the inside face of the strap 13 and the ear-covering extension 12 from which said strap extends, connections 22 between said tube 21 and the mentioned air passages, whether formed by diaphragrns 19 or tubes 20, and an extension 23 on the end of said tube 21 and in such position on the strap 13 that the wearer of the cap may bring the same to her mouth for the purposes of inflating the described means 15. The tube 15 may be replaced by any suitable duct or passage in the strap 13 or applied thereto and the same need not be inflatable, since sealing vbetween the inner face of the strap and the chin is not necessary. In other words the means 16 is provided for conducting air blown from the mouth of the wearer while the cap is on the head to cause inflation of diaphragrns 19 or tubes 29, as the case may be, so that the same will conform to the wearers head and neck and so intimately press thereagainst as to form an efficient anti-leakage seal. It will be noted that the diaphragms 1? and tubes 25} bulge inwardly when inflation takes place, causing the ribs 17 to become spaced away from the head and neck to leave the thin and extremely flexible portions 19 or 2-9 in sealing contact.

After inflation, the extension 23 is closed to retain the air. Various means such as plugging extension 23 or bending or pinching the same may be used for this purpose.

It will be evident that the cap is donned before inflation. Then, after the cap is well adjusted to the head, the conduits comprising the means 15 are inflated to effect the desired seal.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A bathing cap comprising a head-enclosing body having a peripheral edge, two parallel ribs on the inner side of the body adjacent said edge and constituting integral thickened portions of the body defining an inwardlyopen channel, a thin, stretchable strip diaphragm spanning across the channel between the ribs with the opposite edges of said diaphragm fused to the ribs to enclose the channel, a chin strap integrally extending from one side of said body edge and having a free end for adjustable connection to the opposite side of the body edge, and an air tube along the inner face of said strap and extending between an inlet located at an intermediate portion of the strap and into communication with the mentioned channel, the length of said air tube being such as to enable the wearer of the cap to blow air by mouth into said inlet While the cap is in adjusted position on the wearers head to thereby inflate the channel and stretch the diaphragm into leakage-sealing engagement with the Wearers head.

1 2. A bathing cap according to claim 1 in which a 4. third and parallel integral rib is provided on the inner side of the body to define a second inwardly-open channel, a second strip diaphragm spanning across said second channel with its opposite edges fused to said third rib and to the rib adjacent thereto, the air tube being extended to connect to said second channel.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Naundorf Mar. 2, 1937 3,026,526 Montrose Mar. 27, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 361,473 Great Britain Nov. 26, 1931 818,539 France lune 21, 1937 955,816 Germany Jan. 10, 1957 1,203,481 France July 27, 1959 

1. A BATHING CAP COMPRISING A HEAD-ENCLOSING BODY HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE, TWO PARALLEL RIBS ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE BODY ADJACENT SAID EDGE AND CONSTITUTING INTEGRAL THICKENED PORTIONS OF THE BODY DEFINING AN INWARDLYOPEN CHANNEL, A THIN, STRETCHABLE STRIP DIAPHRAGM SPANNING ACROSS THE CHANNEL BETWEEN THE RIBS WITH THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID DIAPHRAGM FUSED TO THE RIBS TO ENCLOSE THE CHANNEL, A CHIN STRAP INTEGRALLY EXTENDING FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID BODY EDGE AND HAVING A FREE END FOR ADJUSTABLE CONNECTION TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BODY EDGE, AND AN AIR TUBE ALONG THE INNER FACE OF SAID STRAP AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AN INLET LOCATED AT AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE STRAP AND INTO COMMUNICATION WITH THE MENTIONED CHANNEL, THE LENGTH OF SAID AIR TUBE BEING SUCH AS TO ENABLE THE WEARER OF THE CAP TO BLOW AIR BY MOUTH INTO SAID INLET WHILE THE CAP IS IN ADJUSTED POSITION ON THE WEARER''S HEAD TO THEREBY INFLATE THE CHANNEL AND STRETCH THE DIAPHRAGM INTO LEAKAGE-SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WEARER''S HEAD. 